The Internet is becoming a primary method for distributing multimedia content and other information to end users. It is currently possible to download music, video, games, and other multimedia information to computers, cell phones, and virtually any network capable device.
Streaming of data files or “streaming media” refers to technology that delivers sequential multimedia content at a rate sufficient to present the multimedia to a user at the originally anticipated playback speed without significant interruption. Streamed data may be stored in memory (e.g., hard drive, etc) until the data is played back and then subsequently deleted after a defined time period has passed. Streaming may be used to deliver multimedia content on-demand from previously-recorded broadcasts or multimedia content from live broadcasts.
Alternatively, multimedia content may be downloaded and stored on persistent storage devices, such as hard drives or optical storage, for later presentation. Downloading complete media files of the multimedia content can take large amounts of time depending on the network connection. Once downloaded, however, the multimedia content can be viewed repeatedly anytime or anywhere. Users generally dislike this option, as they tend to want to see or hear the media file instantaneously. Streaming, unlike downloading, provides the opportunity for a user to select different multimedia content for viewing on an ad hoc basis, while downloading is by definition restricted to receiving a specific content selection in its entirety or not at all.
Another technology, known as “progressive downloads,” attempts to combine the strengths of the above two technologies. When a progressive download is initiated, the media file download begins, and the media player waits to begin playback until there is enough of the file downloaded that playback can begin with the hope that the remainder of the file will be completely downloaded before playback “catches up.” This waiting period before playback can be substantial, depending on network conditions, and therefore is not a complete or fully acceptable solution to the problem of media presentation over a network.
In most multimedia content streaming systems, the user can start viewing the requested content without waiting for the entire media file to completely download. Streaming offers the advantage of immediate access to the content, but may need to sacrifice quality in order to maintain uninterrupted playback within the constraints of the available bandwidth of the network connection. Network failures or congestion also impact streaming multimedia content.
One concern that arises in the context of distribution of multimedia content over the Internet, regardless of the method used for delivering the multimedia content, is how to manage advertisements. Conventionally, in the case of live broadcast television, the broadcaster is in complete control of timing of the insertion and playback of advertisements. For example, if a 30-second advertisement is to be inserted, the advertisement is selected and scheduled beforehand, and the advertisement starts and ends immediately at the scheduled time. This is possible because the broadcaster is in complete control of all the equipment and multimedia content (regular programming plus advertisements) involved. In addition, all viewers see or hear the same advertisement at the same time. The viewers are human beings who watch or listen to the multimedia content using a television or radio. When the time to insert an advertisement arrives, the broadcaster inserts an advertisement into the output signal. The advertisement includes content which was previously positioned in the video equipment, which is capable of delivering the content into the output signal at the precise instant that it is called for, with very high reliability. In effect, all viewers see the same advertising at the same point in the multimedia content, such as that of a live event. The device used for playing the multimedia content, such as a television, is not involved in implementing selecting the advertisements.
As for Internet-based multimedia content, one conventional approach inserts advertising into the video stream at some point no later than the media server or the equivalent, meaning the advertisements are encoded as an integral part of the multimedia content. Like conventional broadcasting, using this conventional approach, all viewers see the same advertising at the same point in the multimedia content, such as that of a live event, and a media player, operating on a networked device, is not involved in selecting the advertisements. The media player is a piece of software that plays the multimedia content (e.g., displays video and plays audio), and may be a standalone software application, a web browser plug-in, a combination of browser plug-in and supporting web page logic, or the like.
In the case of managing advertisements for on-demand, Internet-based multimedia content, sometimes referred to as video-on-demand (VOD), the timing for advertisement insertion may be very flexible. For example, the VOD content may be a previously-recorded broadcast, as opposed to multimedia content from a “live” broadcast. In this context, “live” means that the multimedia content is anchored to a particular point in time for the purpose of playing the multimedia content. That is, the beginning of the piece of content is scheduled to be played by a media player at a particular point in time. In some cases, the multimedia content of the live event is played out at the same time that the content is being encoded, and the anchor point is the time that the encoding of the event began. In other cases, the multimedia content of a live event may be pre-encoded, but scheduled to play out at a particular point in time. In either case, the playback of the content is required to occupy approximately the same amount of time as the original live event, in order to keep the playback of the multimedia content synchronized with the schedule. For live playback, the duration of advertisement breaks during playback should approximate the duration of the advertisement breaks as they were encoded. Live playback (sometimes referred to as live playout) differs from VOD playback in that, with VOD content, there is no anchor point in real time. A piece of VOD content begins playing when a viewer requests the VOD content. There is no requirement that the duration of advertisement breaks be the same as the duration of the original advertisement breaks, during the playback of the VOD content. In fact, it is common for the duration of the advertisement breaks to be quite different in the VOD content than from the original broadcast (e.g., for television). For example, an original television broadcast may be shown at a particular point in time, and subsequently, the publisher makes the television broadcast available as VOD content, but without the original advertisements in the original television broadcast. Since the VOD content is not anchored to a particular schedule, the advertisements in the VOD content do not have to match the duration of the original advertisements.
For VOD advertisement insertion, advertisement breaks are typically marked at particular points in the video content, although their locations might also be computed based on the amount of time the viewer has been viewing or by some other means. Advertisement breaks are not required to occupy any particular duration of time. In particular, the advertisements in the VOD content do not have to match the original advertisement breaks in the program content. In fact, the number and duration of advertisements played during a particular advertisement break in the VOD content may vary from viewer to viewer.
For VOD advertisement insertion, when playback reaches an advertisement break, playback of the program content is suspended while the advertisements are played. If there are brief pauses as advertisements are fetched, or even during the playback of an advertisement, the viewer's experience during the advertisement break may be affected, but this has no bearing on the viewer's experience after the program content resumes. For example, in a VOD scenario, there is no concept of “lag behind live,” because the event is pre-recorded and is available in its entirety before playback begins. The term “lag behind live,” as used herein, refers to the difference between when a particular piece of content is encoded for Internet distribution and when a particular viewer views the piece of content on the media player. The “lag behind live” can vary between viewers and can vary over time for a single viewer. For a particular live event, delivered by a particular technology, there is a minimum lag behind live due to the time to record, or otherwise capture the live event and to make the recorded content available for Internet distribution, for example.
The concept of “lag behind live” only applies to live events, not to pre-recorded multimedia content, unless the pre-recorded multimedia content is scheduled to be played back at a particular point in time. In effect, for VOD content, there is no live point to which the viewer should be restored after an advertisement break. Advertisement breaks for VOD content can be of any duration without affecting the viewer's experience of the regular program content.
Since advertising is inserted into the live video stream of a live event before the media server in one conventional system, all viewers seeing the live event see the same advertisement at the same time. The publisher cannot control how many viewers see the advertisements. In general, there is no good way to take advantage of knowing how many viewers see the advertisements. In particular, it is difficult or impossible to be paid a higher price if a higher-than-expected number of viewers see the advertisements. It is difficult or impossible to target advertising to particular demographics or geographic areas without setting up a one or more media servers for each demographic or geographic area and ensure that each viewer connects to the appropriate media server.